Rationally, Draco knew that he probably didnt have anything to fear. He knew that Harry did this all the time and that he probably had the situation under control. He was really happy that no one else was around though and that this was just something he did for Harry. It felt right to do this together with Harry, even if he still really feared it.“Alright,” he said with a soft smile, following Harry and just hoping for the best.

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it’s quick, it’s easy and it’s free: pouring river water in your socks

Harry pushed the kayak ahead of him as he waded through the water, heading for the dock. Despite being early morning, the waters were not insufferably cold and as Harry kept his eyes ahead in an attempt to find a secure path across, he considered whether or not he should insist on Draco training on getting in and out of the kayak in the water. Harry glanced towards Draco, eventually deciding against it.Once he made it to the dock, he tied his own kayak to the ladder before moving down the length of the dock."Alright, love, let's get you in," Harry said, his voice equally soft was it was when chatting to the children. Once he got close enough he caught a hold of Draco's kayak, gripping it on either side of the seat. He glanced up at Draco on the dock, his smile being pulled crooked by his question far before he actually said it out loud."First things first - do you know how to swim?"

There was something Harry’s demeanour that completely changed once he put on the teaching role. It wasn’t condescending in any way, shape or form, but it helped to make Draco feel safer in what he was about to embark on. He really did want to trust Harry, but the closer he got to actually doing this, the less certain he felt on his decision. He just hoped that Harry wasn’t about to make him regret trusting him like this.“I know how to swim, yes,” Draco said, unable to keep a soft smile off his face. It was clear that that was something Harry had to ask the questions before going kayaking, but it almost felt a little touching that Harry had thought to ask him as well. “I’m not a strong swimmer, but I can swim.”

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it’s quick, it’s easy and it’s free: pouring river water in your socks

Harry shifted his position slightly and inattentively, finding himself at ease in the water. "If you were to tip over, would you feel comfortable getting yourself out? Can you swim well enough not to panic?"The first week of the water sports course was always fully dedicated on preparing the kids for the worst case scenarios, intentionally knocking them over in their kayaks in order for them to practice getting out of an overturned kayak, but if it could be avoided, Harry would rather skip that part entirely; that was, after all, not part of a relaxing morning.

Draco generally felt pretty confident in his ability to swim, but suddenly getting questioned about it made him question his skills. He knew that he probably had to pretend to be confident and then it would have to come to him. “I think so,” he said, hoping that Harry didn’t pick up on his insecurity.

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it’s quick, it’s easy and it’s free: pouring river water in your socks

Harry immediately heard Draco's hesitation - after all, that was part of his job to know which child to help out, even when they didn't know how to ask for it. In spite of that, Harry just nodded. Most adults could handle tipping over without any trouble, but Draco was still a new friend and Harry didn't want to assume."Alright," he just settled on, the toothy smile reappearing onto his lips. "I'll just keep a special eye on you. Sit down on the edge of the dock, I'll guide you through it."

The entire situation felt a little childish, yet Draco relished in it. He liked to see Harry in, what appeared to be, his natural element. It was clear that Harry was good with the children, but it worked to make Draco feel safe in the situation as well. He sat down on the edge of the dock as instructed, not sure what to expect but really wanting this to go over well.“Alright teach,” he said with a warm smile, as his feet dangled over the edge of the dock.

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it’s quick, it’s easy and it’s free: pouring river water in your socks

The corner of Harry's smiled tugged upwards, making his toothy grin even wider."It's coach, actually," he commented with a tease, before reaching out to tap his fingers against Draco's ankle. "Turn so you're parallel to the edge, mate."Harry himself shifted his stance too, having to change the way he held onto the kayak as to not disturb Draco's getting in. "Time to put that upper body strength of yours into good use "- Harry's smile yet again widened, before pointing at the places where he wanted Draco to hold on. "One hand on the edge of the dock, another here on the kayak; you've gotta lower yourself in. Don't worry, I'll keep the kayak from slipping away from under you."

Draco smiled softly at the correction, not wanting to comment further on it. It was already surprisingly nice to go kayaking with Harry, even if he hadn’t even gotten into the kayak yet. It seemed like a nice thing to share and Draco was just happy that Harry wanted to share it with him.“Alright, you’re the boss,” Draco said as he tried to follow Harry’s instructions. It felt pretty counterintuitive to hang from the edge of a dock, but he had to trust that Harry wouldn’t let him get hurt. “Gotta trust you on this one,” he added, as he slowly lowered himself into the kayak.

_________________

it’s quick, it’s easy and it’s free: pouring river water in your socks

Harry's upper arms flexed the moment part of Draco's weight was laid onto the floating kayak, once again tightening his grip around it. The moment Draco was properly in it, Harry's muscles relaxed. "How does it feel?" he asked, his crooked smile soft. Harry himself shifted his grip, by now only gripping the kayak firmly enough that it wouldn't float away. "It'll feel less awkward once I get you the paddle."

“Quite awkward,” Draco said with a tense smile, not really sure if he appreciated the sensation of being in a kayak, but he figured that it’d be better once they actually started paddling. The soft morning light made the sensation of floating on the water feel almost surreal and Draco tried to keep himself rooted in reality.“I’ll take your word for it.”

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it’s quick, it’s easy and it’s free: pouring river water in your socks

Harry laughed at that, his laugh soft and genuine, once again shifting his stance. Gently, he pushed Draco closer towards the dock."I'm going to have to let go of you, then," Harry said, his smile now showing signs of a tease. "I'll only let go with one hand, but you might want to hold onto the dock regardless."Without waiting for Draco's approval, Harry had started moving mid sentence; he had let go of the hand that gripped the kayak behind the small of Draco's back, in order to instead brush it against the edge of the kayak as he moved and stretched far enough to gripne of the paddles from his own kayak.With a small, huffed sound, Harry once again stepped closer. "Here," he said, offering Draco the paddle. "Take a minute to find you balance, and then I'll let go completely."

Draco nodded at that, soft smile still on his lips, even if he was feeling very insecure about the entire situation. He wanted to trust Harry, he really did, but this was all very new to him, so it was probably normal that he was nervous.He grabbed a hold of the dock, not wanting to accidentally float away and get lost at sea, or something equally stupid like that. He just didn’t want to seem like a fool in front of Harry, even if he was probably used to seeing that.He accepted the paddle, having a vague idea of what he should do, but not enough to actually do anything with it.

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it’s quick, it’s easy and it’s free: pouring river water in your socks

Once Harry was sure Draco had a grip on the paddle, he every so slightly loosened his grip even further. For along moment, he was silent,half expecting Draco to do something."Both hands on. If you just slowly dip each end into the water one after the other it should help steady yourself," he offered, not wanting to further question Draco about his abilities in a kayak. Gently, Harry reached out to grip the paddle with his left hand, placing it directly next to Draco's. "They're pretty stable as they are, but if you tip it like this -" Harry lifted the paddle far enough for the opposite end far enough for it to dip into water. He slowly mirrored the motion in order to dip the other end. "- Just don't twist around too much or you'll notice you'll rock the kayak. This is just to keep you from drifting too much."Finally, Harry let go of the paddle, but this time his hand didn't return onto the kayak, but remained in the water surface. Harry's eyes met Draco's, once again sporting a smile. "Its the same motion to get you forward, you just gotta use it to shoved at the water once the paddle is in."

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